History of the Club
Listen to Norman Giller's interview about the writing of the book with Chris Walker on Sunday 13 July at 3pm on Forest FM 92.3.
Click here to visit Forest FM website.
Book signing session at Waterstones, West Quay Shopping Centre,
Saturday 28 June
Photo courtesy of Gordon Sapsed |
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The Concorde Club - The First 50 Years!
was launched on Friday 30 May by
guest speaker
Jimmy Greaves
The Concorde Club - The First 50 Years is now on sale
from reception - only £15
(RRP £18.99)
For each book sold £1 will be donated to the Wessex Cancer Trust
If you have ordered a copy of The Concorde Club - The First 50 Years! your copy is available to collect from reception.
We hope you enjoy the book!
The Concorde Club - The First 50 Years!
Cole Mathieson, owner & founder of the Concorde Club, together with experienced author (& Concorde member!) Norman Giller have together, written the story of the history of the South's premier jazz & entertainment club.
Picture courtesy of the Daily Echo
Humphrey Lyttelton who provided the introduction to the book shortly before he passed away, had a long association with the Cole & the Club, & is quoted last year as saying: 'Class & Character- that's the Concorde Club'
The lavishly illustrated book has a RRP of £15 which includes a £1 donation to the Wessex Cancer Trust.
To order your copy please send a cheque or postal order for £15 made out to the Concorde Book to the Concorde Club, Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh, Hants, SO50 9HQ or hand in at the club reception
For further information about the book please visit
www.concordebook.co.uk
What's in a name?
Some people mistakenly think we were named after the aeroplane. Concorde was taken from a piece of music written by John Lewis (who named it after Place de la Concorde in Paris) and released on LP by the Modern Jazz Quartet around 1955.
For many years at the old Club we had the following quotation by William Shakespeare hung over the door:
'The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils'
The Bassett Days
The Concorde Club began as a group of modern jazz enthusiasts playing their sort of music one night a week. Membership grew, with the members playing a large part in the redecoration & alterations to keep the club more attractive & modern.
Clubs developed within the club eg Hampshire Jazz Appreciation Society, The Balladeer Folk Club & a record exchange met regularly. Musicians who played here included Nat Gonella, George Chisholm, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Tubby Hayes, Kenny Baker, Kathy Stobart, Humphrey Lyttelton, Diz Disley & Tommy Whittle to name a few. Ronnie Scott played here the night before he opened his club in London. US stars included Will Bill Davison, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Buck Clayton & Memphis Slim.
Manfred Mann started out at the Bassett and many of Pops Hall of Fame including Cream, Slade (as Ambrose Slade), Rod Stewart (with the Soul Agents and Steam Packet), Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames (still a regular fixture in the Concorde's diary), Alan Price, Shakin Stevens, The Free, Elton John (when still Reg Dwight with Bluesology), The Nice, Joe Cocker, Robert Plant, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton & Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated (including Dick Heckstall-Smith & Zoot Money) held a residency in the 1960s.
The club moved its current site in Eastleigh, an old school building in 1970 after the brewery sold the Bassett Hotel.
To be continued... |
